RoadSafetyBC is responsible for ensuring drivers are medically and functionally fit to drive. The Enhanced Road Assessment (ERA) is one tool RoadSafetyBC may use to fulfil this responsibility.

• RoadSafetyBC implemented the ERA in March 2018.
• To develop it, RoadSafetyBC worked with ICBC for more than a year, consulting other jurisdictions to establish best practices, working with an expert in the field of functional driving assessments, engaging many stakeholder groups and examining relevant literature and research.
• RoadSafetyBC determined that the assessment must be:
  • fair for drivers with medical fitness concerns who are required to complete it;
  • reliable in providing consistent outcomes;
  • evidence-based;
  • safe to administer;
  • geographically accessible; and
  • capable of providing clear, comprehensive, objective information toward well-informed licensing decisions.
• Age is not a basis for the requirement to complete an ERA. Drivers of any age may be referred to the program following the submission of medical information indicating that an assessment is required.
• While past driving performance may be a useful indicator of future driving performance when a person’s health status is unchanged, this is not necessarily true if a driver has developed a relevant medical condition or is experiencing functional decline.
• The ERA is not a test that a person can pass or fail. The results must be assessed by RoadSafetyBC, along with all other relevant information in a driver’s file, to determine if they are safe to continue driving.
• While ERA appointments are scheduled for 90 minutes, the actual driving time is 45 minutes. The driver examiner uses the other 45 minutes to explain how they will conduct the ERA, review road signs, check and inspect the vehicle, review the assessment results and answer any questions the driver may have.
• In 2018, RoadSafetyBC reviewed 174,000 driver medical fitness files. In 6,554 cases (3.2%), drivers were required to complete an ERA.
• As of March 2019, RoadSafetyBC has conducted 4,297 ERAs. Of these, 57% resulted in the driver maintaining their licence, 25% resulted in licence cancellation and 16% resulted in a request for a further ERA or further medical information.
• On average, drivers take the ERA 61 days after referral and RoadSafetyBC decides to maintain or cancel the driver’s licence within eight days of completion of the ERA.

Learn More:

For more information on the ERA, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/driver-medical/driver-medical-fitness/enhanced-road-assessment